In recent times, references in cinematic and novelistic works have erroneously portrayed an overwhelming adoption of handguns by the general firearm owning populous. The statistical reality is that most firearms in the United States are long guns, as opposed to handguns. Long guns are a class of firearm that includes common weapons such as shotguns and rifles. Based on statistics from the 2012 “Gun Control Legislation” report from the Congressional Research Service, the number of rifles and shotguns owned in the U.S. outnumbers the number of handguns owned nearly two to one. In 2012, there were an estimated 110 million rifles and 86 million shotguns owned by U.S. civilians, compared to the 110 million civilian-owned handguns. Given that nearly 200 million long guns are owned by civilians, any improvement in weapon safety results in a significant impact to the overall safety of society.
Accidental discharge of a weapon is a serious danger to everyone. To this end, a great deal of emphasis is placed on the proper handling of guns and ammunition in order to reduce the possibility of inadvertently injuring someone while handling a weapon. The reasons and scenarios leading to the discharge of the weapons vary widely from case to case, but one common factor of all accidental shootings is that they can be avoided by using safe weapon stowage and handling procedures, combined with an awareness of the present environment and surroundings.
While there are a large number of methods for securing a firearm available today, most are cumbersome and require varying amounts of operator input. Some securement methods are not portable, thereby limiting gun safety to the one location in which the gun is normally kept. With other currently available portable devices, in order to secure the weapon, the operator is required to carry a physical key, attach or remove parts, remember a particular set of procedures, or remove the ammunition. Still other safety devices require the weapon's mechanical components to be disassembled, altered, and re-assembled. In short, many options for safely storing a firearm are available, but each of these options makes it difficult and inconvenient to ensure that a firearm is not capable of harm.
Perhaps the most secure method of protecting a firearm is to store it in a locker or trunk. However, due to their sheer size and weight, these units are primarily designed to be installed and operated within the confines of a single environment, i.e., a gun owner's bedroom or vehicle. Once the weapon is removed from the locker, there is little to prevent the unauthorized use of the weapon.
As an alternative to storage lockers, people can install portable safety devices on their weapons. To use these devices, an owner has his weapon modified from the original production configuration to incorporate safety mechanisms that prevent the weapon from being inadvertently discharged. This process may result in the loss of warranty and liability claims to the weapon's manufacturer. This modification often results in a safety system that is not visible, thus not readily verifiable at any given point in time. Additionally, a system that is incorporated into the mechanical workings of the gun may not be obvious to people other than the owner, thus causing difficulty when others attempt to engage the safety features of the weapon.
Some of the portable aftermarket safety units available today are inserted into various parts of the firearm and then locked, preventing the pieces from being removed, thus preventing the gun from firing. While this type of protection presents a clean and cost effective solution, it requires the user to keep track of the insert and a key, which are not stowed on the firearm itself when the weapon is in use. A variation on the aftermarket insert is the trigger guard insert or cover that prevents access to the weapon's trigger. This safety component removes the ability to fire the weapon, regardless of whether the weapon is loaded or not. As with the other available aftermarket solutions, the trigger guard lock requires storage of the lock, and often a key, when the gun is in use. While the trigger guard lock is a good method for preventing access to the trigger, it can get lost or misplaced, still causing opportunity for the weapon to be discharged unintentionally.
It is the aim of the present invention to address the shortfalls of the prior art described above.